Peterborough posties facing pet peril

Dogs have launched dozens of attacks on Peterborough posties in the past 12 months putting the city near the top of an unwanted table.

Peterborough ranked in the top three in the UK for canine attacks on postmen and women, with 60 occurring in the PE postcode in 2016/17.

Only the BT postcode - which covers the whole of Northern Ireland - and Brighton’s BN, saw more attacks. BT saw 67 attacks, while BN had 64

Now pet owners are being urged to make sure they think about postie’s safety by keeping dogs secured when deliveries arrive.

This week is The fifth annual Dog Awareness Week held by the Royal Mail. The week aims to raise awareness of the issue of dog attacks on postmen and women and encourage responsible dog ownership.

Royal Mail has revealed that over the last five years there have been around 14,500 dog attacks on postmen and woman across the UK, with around 2,500 in the last year alone.

The Communication Worker’s Union (CWU) National Health and Safety Officer Dave Joyce said: “Seven postal workers attacked by dogs every day of the year is unacceptable and the whole idea of Dog Awareness Week is to highlight the problem and the repercussions for dog owners and the victims, many of whom are seriously injured”.

“Over 70 per cent of dog attacks on postmen and women occur on the garden path or at the doorstep of the dog’s owner home. It just needs owners to restrict their animals access to the front garden or to put their dog in another room before opening the door to collect a parcel or sign for an item.

“Customers are always pleased to see the postman or postwoman arrive as they’re eager to take delivery of their goods they’ve ordered and paid for on the internet but thousands of them unfortunately don’t give a second thought to the postal worker’s safety by putting the dog in a safe, secure place. The vast majority of our customers and their dogs aren’t a problem but irresponsible and reckless dog owners are.

“The new dog control laws now identify and penalises irresponsible dog owners and many are now facing prosecution and paying heavy court penalties and getting criminal records. So it’s in their best interest in more ways than one to make sure the dog doesn’t bite the postman/woman. One owner was recently fined £8,800 after his dog injured a postwoman’s fingers as she put letters through the door – which is another big problem postal workers face! The penalties can include losing their dogs, being banned from dog ownership, paying compensation, big fines and even a jail sentence.

“Dog owners need to fully understand that their actions usually are the cause of a dog being dangerous and simple precautions can prevent the pain for everyone concerned. No matter what breed of dog is involved, the dog can present a substantial danger to postal workers.”